The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Media Coalition Against
child Malnutrition (MeCAM) have declared that exclusive breastfeeding is key to
fight against child malnutrition, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that they stressed that
exclusively breastfeeding is more resilient in fighting malnutrition,
especially in children.
Speaking ahead of the 2016 World Breastfeeding Week,
which commenced August 1 through August 7, the organisations agreed that it is
encouraging to always engage members of the media on issues concerning child
malnutrition and more specifically on exclusive breastfeeding in order to drum
support for the campaign.
The Communication Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey
Njoku, speaking on the week, charged MeCAM members to be alive to their
responsibilities of stimulating support for yet another year and season of
World Breastfeed Week.
UNICEF, he said, looks forward to members of MeCAM
engaging through the media across its membership and country at large.
This, he said, could come in form of news reports,
programmes, features, special reports, editorials, opinion pieces and
commentaries.
In a related development, the National Coordinator,
MeCAM Nigeria, Mr. Remmy Nweke, assured that the media advocacy group,
especially at this era of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
would offer its best on the breastfeeding campaign 2016 so as to give it a boost.
Nweke quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO) as
saying that170 countries would be commemorating the Innocenti Declaration
signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other
organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding, WHO noted, is the best way to provide infants with the
nutrients they need.
Also, WHO recommended exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour
after birth until a baby is six months old.
“Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to
breastfeed for up to two years or beyond,” WHO officials pointed out.
Nweke further quoted WHO experts as saying that the World Breastfeeding Week is
celebrated every year in over 170 countries to inspire breastfeeding and improve
the health of babies across the world.
Noteworthy, Nweke said, is that
in September 2015, the world's leaders committed to 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting
the planet and ensuring prosperity.
“Together, they form the Sustainable Development Goals. We all have a part to play in
achieving these goals by 2030,” he declared.The World Breastfeeding Week 2016 theme is about how breastfeeding is a key element in getting us to think about how to value our wellbeing from the start of life, how to respect each other and care for the world we share.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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